Romney estimates $100 million to be `serious contender' for 2008
BOSTON --Republican Mitt Romney estimates he must raise at least $100 million to be among the "serious contenders" for the presidency in 2008, according to e-mails two of his sons sent trying to enlist support for a fundraising kickoff on Monday.
"The first few weeks after announcing the formation of an exploratory committee are critical, in that they demonstrate the candidate's ability to raise this kind of money," said virtually identical notes sent by Josh and Craig Romney, two of the former Massachusetts governor's five sons.
"As a result, I'm asking you to help me raise money for my Dad's exploratory committee," the e-mail continues.
Romney filed paperwork Wednesday creating a presidential exploratory committee, the same step already taken by Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, two other potential candidates for the GOP nomination.
On Thursday, just an hour after his four-year term as governor ended, Romney began working out of his new committee headquarters on the edge of Boston Harbor.
He travels to Sea Island, Ga., on Saturday to address a closed-door gathering of conservative activists at the Awakening Conference and returns to Massachusetts on Sunday night for a private dinner with a group of his most loyal financial supporters.
On Monday, the same people will assemble at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center for a fundraising telethon labeled a "National Call Day." Romney will deliver opening and closing remarks, and Spencer Zwick, his national finance director, will brief the media at midday.
The notes from Josh and Craig Romney, Romney's third and fifth sons, respectively, seek donations up to the legal maximum of $2,100 for an individual and $4,200 per couple. They also request the recipient's phone number for Monday, as well as "a list of any of your friends/family that you think will be willing to donate along with their e-mail addresses and phone numbers."
Romney's eldest son, Tagg, recently quit his job as marketing executive with the Los Angeles Dodgers to return to Boston. He also is helping the committee.
The chairman of the Federal Election Commission told the Washington Times in December that he expected the 2008 campaign would evolve into the first $1 billion presidential race.
FEC Chairman Michael E. Toner also said he expected each party's nominee to forgo federal financing for their general election campaign, allowing them to raise unlimited sums for the post-primary portion of the campaign.
In 2004, both Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic nominee, and President Bush, the Republican nominee, skipped federal matching funds for their primary campaigns but accepted them -- and their accompanying limits -- for the general election.
Toner told the Times that the "entry level" for a serious contender will be $100 million by the end of 2007 -- the same figure cited by Romney's sons.
Giuliani also estimates he will need to raise $100 million this year, according to a secret 140-page campaign plan that was obtained and published earlier this week by the New York Daily News.
On Thursday, Romney announced his first group of national finance co-chairs: Christopher Collins of First Atlantic Capital, LLC, of Massachusetts; Mark Guzzetta of Gemstone Development of Florida; Jon Huntsman Sr. of the Huntsman Corporation of Utah; John Miller of the National Beef Packing Company, LLC, of Missouri; John Rakolta Jr. of Walbridge Aldinger of Michigan; Mel Sembler of the Sembler Company of Florida; Tom Tellefsen of Tellefsen Investments of California; Ted Welch of Ted Welch Investments of Tennessee, and; Meg Whitman of
On Friday, the committee also announced that former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., will join Romney's roster of senior advisers.
